ABC can now measure traffic on iPad apps, such as this one from the Financial Times

Newspapers and magazines with apps on the iPhone and iPad will soon be able to report traffic figures alongside print and website figures.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations, which reports the audience figures of most of the UK's national and regional media, began measuring smartphone app activity on 1 May – a sign of the booming importance of mobile publishing.

All of the UK's major national newspapers have iPhone apps, with most also having a product for the iPad. On Thursday, the Daily Telegraph launched an updated iPad app using Apple's strict subscription scheme.

It is not clear how many publishers have signed up to the scheme, or how many intend to report app traffic on a monthly basis, alongside website and print statistics.

ABC will measure how many "unique devices" – like unique users, but one user might mean more than one device – access the app, page impressions, the average duration of app visits, as well as ad impressions requested by each device.

Most national newspapers report their print circulation and website traffic monthly, although News International titles – the Times, Sunday Times, Sun and News of the World – pulled out last year ahead of launching website paywalls. Magazines report their circulation on a half-yearly basis.

ABC in the US began measuring iPad apps alongside regular magazine editions in March last year.

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